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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265124">winter hues, flower woes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/solthes/pseuds/solthes'>solthes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hospitals, Kinda, M/M, Minor Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, chatfic??, dont worry noone dies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:47:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,953</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/solthes/pseuds/solthes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In another world, Kenma and Kuroo grow up together as childhood friends and partners, a duo that was feared on the court by many. </p><p>In this world, Kenma meets a messy-haired man in a hospital room while delivering flowers.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji &amp; Kozume Kenma, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Kuroken Christmas Exchange 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>winter hues, flower woes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/valdera/gifts">valdera</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Kenma sniffed into his scarf, his pudding-like hair swaying with his movements as he rubbed his arms, trying to warm himself up. He sped-walk down the pavement, praying to the gods above that the heater was working when he got to the store or he would personally light some matches because </span>
  <em>
    <span>holy shit</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was freezing. He never liked winter that much, but this was just horrible. He was wearing a thick winter jacket and it still felt as if he was standing stark naked in the middle of a blizzard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed in relief as the store slowly came into view, nearly yelling in happiness when he saw Akaashi arranging the flowers outside the store. His back was turned towards Kenma as he tended to the droopy pale snowdrops that had just bloomed the day before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The messy haired man co-owned the store with his high-school clubmate, Shirofuku Yukie. They’ve been friends for about 5 years now, and Kenma only joined them a year after they started the business. Kenma had no idea how they went from volleyball to becoming florists, but apparently it was just a midnight idea that spiralled into something real. They were doing well, though. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Keiji!” Kenma yelled, trying to get Akaashi’s attention. He saw the other man perk up and turn around, giving a small wave when he saw Kenma’s figure. He patiently waited for Kenma to arrive, amusement on his face as Kenma panted heavily. “Hello, Kozume.” He smirked when he saw Kenma open his mouth. “And yes, the heater is on.” He turned back to the flowers that he was previously tending. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma breathed out a thanks as he entered </span>
  <em>
    <span>Serendipity</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the bell jingling loudly to signal his arrival. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The floral shop had another service apart from the usual selling of flowers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shop had this service where customers could pay to have their flowers delivered to a patient who was at the Tokyo National Hospital, which was a few roads down from them. This was helpful to those that were overseas or in another district and weren’t able to physically visit their loved ones. The customer could call or email the shop, and they would get the flowers to any patient as soon as possible. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma never did the delivery job, opting to stay at the store and tend to customers instead of going to the hospital. He didn’t have any particular reason apart from the fact that the cold atmosphere there was weird and the smell of disinfectant ticked him off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or that was the case until Yukie ran towards him an hour before closing time, gnawing on her lips with her eyes widened with panic. “Kozume-san! Kozume-san! I need your help!” Kenma glanced up from the flowers he was watering, wondering what got the usually calm Yukie so panicked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I missed out on a delivery and Akaashi’s getting ready for his date, and Konoha took the day off but it was specifically asked to be sent today because it was the patient’s birthday.” Yukie rambled, hands gripping her own hair. Kenma wondered if she was gonna tear it off in stress. “I wanted Akaashi to have some time with Bo, since they haven’t met in so long, but I also need to make some new flower arrangements for a customer who needs it today, and no one else can go, so please Kozume-san!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I promise, I’ll buy you lunch for a week. No, a month! Take the car!” She threw the keys and bowed, before running into the backroom and returning with the flowers and the note attached. “Thanks, Kozume-san! I’m eternally grateful to you!” She yelled as Kenma left the store. He sighed. It was finally time for him to do the deliveries.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shivered as the cold wind hit him, and he tried to make his way to Yukie’s car as fast as possible. Curse the cold. He looked at the flower arrangement in his hands. A few </span>
  <span>alstroemerias, representing </span>
  <em>
    <span>friendship</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and an abundance of white lilies, representing  </span>
  <em>
    <span>happiness and positivity</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Kenma flipped the card over to read what was typed out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Happy birthday, loser. Hope you get well soon.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>- Yakkun </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>P.S. if you die, i’ll bring you back to life just so i can strangle you to death again. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma blinked. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d seen such a note, but it still took him by surprise. If he hadn’t known it was for a birthday, he would’ve thought this was a death threat from this ‘Yakkun’ person to ‘Kuroo’. But Yukie and Akaashi always made sure that every single note had no cruel intentions or meanings, especially for someone who was already suffering in the hospital, so it was probably their way of joking with each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Kenma got into Yukie’s black Toyota, he had to take a few minutes to remember how to operate one. He may have gotten his license a few years back after peer pressure from Akaashi and Tora, but that didn’t mean he liked using it. He preferred taking the bus to come to work, or if need be, he would call a cab. Cars were expensive and overpriced. He probably couldn’t afford it on a florist’s salary. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he finally got the car started, he turned the radio to a random station and let it play in the background as he tried to remember the road to the hospital. Luckily for him, there was no traffic and he could make his way there smoothly. Shops and restaurants flew past him in a haze, and in 10 minutes, he was parking the car at the underground carpark. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked at his watch as he gathered the flowers. If he finished the delivery in 30 minutes, he could probably get back there on time to help Yukie close up. He took the lift to the ground floor, where the receptionist was at.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m here from </span>
  <em>
    <span>Serendipity</span>
  </em>
  <span> to deliver flowers to a..” He looked at the receipt which gave the personal information. “Kuroo Tetsurou?” The nurse, used to their deliveries, barely glanced up before giving him the room number. “Room 165. Go straight and turn right.” Kenma nodded his thanks and started heading there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“165, 165, 165,” Kenma muttered to himself as he walked down the hallway. 158. 159. 160. He turned right and continued counting until he reached 165. He took in a deep breath. He had never done this before, and the nerves were finally getting to him. He was reminded of why he heavily disliked doing deliveries. He just never knew the right platitudes to tell the recipient and comfort them, knowing that they were stuck in a shitty situation in the hospital. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He swallowed his discomfort and willed himself. He knocked on the wooden door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come in!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was greeted with the most horrendous bed-hair he’d ever seen in his life. It was like the person’s comb did the opposite of what a comb should do and made it messier than ever. God, how could he even see out of his one eye? Kenma shook his head. No, he was here to deliver flowers and leave. Not to judge this guy with questionable bed hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room was a simple one, with a small television hanging on the wall, which was currently playing an old anime opening. Beside the bed was a table which was filled with fruit baskets and small trinkets of gifts. Most of them were unopened, still neatly wrapped in plastic. There was light coming in from the right side of the room, where there was a large window. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m here to deliver flowers from a Yaku Morisuke.” Kenma stated stiffly, extending his hands to pass the flowers to Kuroo Tetsurou, who was sitting cross legged on the hospital bed. The previously bored expression on his face immediately morphed into one of excitement. He eagerly reached out and accepted them. “I knew that bastard didn’t forget my birthday!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma stood awkwardly as Kuroo read the note from Yaku and laughed heartily. Right. He shouldn’t intrude anymore than you should. As he turned to leave, the man suddenly spoke up, startling Kenma. “Hey! Wanna exchange numbers?” Kenma turned back to shoot him a deadpan expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Exchange numbers! Only if you want, of course.” Kenma cocked an eyebrow at the reply, which only made the man’s smirk wider. “Why would you want my number?” Kenma asked, eyeing the man up and down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m bored here, and I need social interaction. So, exchange numbers?” Kuroo waggled his eyebrows. “Come on, I’m not that bad, I promise!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe if you fixed that hair of yours, I might consider giving you my number.” Kenma bluntly said, before realizing that </span>
  <em>
    <span>he said that to a patient who was in a hospital</span>
  </em>
  <span> and promptly shut his mouth. He didn’t want Akaashi or Yukie to deal with complaints from customers just because he couldn’t keep his witty insults to himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo’s body started shaking, and Kenma was worried that he’d made the guy cry before realizing that he was shaking with laughter. “Oh my god, that was amazing.” Kenma watched him bemusedly as Kuroo wiped a stray tear away and grinned. “Well, my hairbrushes don’t like working with me, so if you could overlook my hair and give me a chance?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fix your hair." Kenma repeated as he turned around and left the hospital room, ignoring the boisterous laughter that echoed behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He'd barely interacted with that guy yet he could already feel an oncoming migraine. He sighed and massaged his forehead as he walked to the car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How was the delivery yesterday?" Akaashi asked, trimming the winter plants that just came in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Annoying." Kenma muttered from his spot behind the counter, hands fiddling with his phone. Akaashi paused in his work and glanced up at him. "Annoying?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He asked for my number." Kenma tried to pretend that he wasn't blushing, but the faint smirk that appeared on Akaashi's face seemed to prove otherwise. He was going to get teased to hell and back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you give it to him, then?" Kenma groaned at the question and covered his face in embarrassment. "I fucking told him to fix his bed hair first and he laughed." He heard chuckling from the other and groaned louder. "I don't think I can face him now."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, too bad I have another delivery for him today..." Akaashi started. Kenma quickly glanced back up at him. "Yukie's leaving early today, and I need to get these plants ready for tomorrow's customers so.." He trailed off, feigning ignorance to Kenma's pained expression. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can't do this to me. I literally insulted the guy to his face." Kenma shot Akaashi a pleading glance. The latter turned his back on the former and went back to trimming the plants. "My car keys are in my jacket. The flowers and note are already on the table." He hummed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing that he had no way out of this, Kenma sighed mournfully and grabbed his winter jacket before flipping Akaashi off. The other man pretended not to acknowledge it and returned the gesture with a sly grin instead as he left to collect the flowers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While walking to the carpark beside their shop, Kenma flipped over the note to read the message.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dear Kuroo-san,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I didn't forget your birthday, I swear! Yaku only told me about this just now, so I thought it would be cool if I sent you flowers from Russia!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Get well soon!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(Please stop giving Yaku ideas on how to torture me during practice, I'm sorry for stealing your pudding last time)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Your favourite junior,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Lev &lt;3</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The difference in the two notes' tone gave Kenma whiplash as he thought back to the one from 'Yakkun' yesterday. It seemed that all 3 of them probably knew each other for a long time now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The flowers he held today were similar to the ones that he had brought to the hospital yesterday. There were chrysanthemums in addition to the white lilies that were in the bouquet yesterday. Huh. There were red chrysanthemums mixed in with the flowers, representing </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The flowers that were delivered from the shops were all chosen by the customer, while Akaashi or Yukie organised them to make them look presentable and neat. The Kuroo guy was probably dating this Lev person. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Whatever, it wasn’t any of his business.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he neared Akaashi's car, he spotted owl stickers on the rear windows. Knowing him, he probably let Bokuto decorate it with whatever he wanted. This proved to be true when he got into the car and saw a bunch of accessories, ranging from volleyball designs to pictures of the both of them at one of Bokuto's matches. Kenma realized that he had forgotten how much of a hopeless romantic both of them were. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Settling the flowers on the rear seat, he soon found himself parking the car at the basement carpark. When he went up to the reception, the nurse that was on duty yesterday was replaced with another nurse. She looked up curiously when he neared her. Kenma could feel the numerous questions radiating from her when he walked down the hallway to Kuroo’s room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stopped in front of the wooden door with the  number ‘165’ indicated on a white plastic card. He gripped the flowers and prepared for a new migraine. He knocked twice and stepped back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come in, come in!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed and entered the room. Kuroo Tetsurou was lying against the bedframe with an IV drip attached to him this time, his phone discarded on his bed while the news played in the background on the television. His tableside hasn’t been cleaned up, apart from the addition of the flowers from yesterday’s delivery. And a comb. Oh god. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pudding-head! You’re back!” He exclaimed, immediately shifting to sit upright. Kenma glared at him. Kuroo shrugged, returning the glare with his smirk and sharp gaze. “You didn’t wanna tell me your name, so I had to give you one. Did you miss me that much?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. I had another delivery for you.” He passed the bouquet over to Kuroo, who immediately flipped the note to read it. He snorted as he eyed the words written on it. “He still hasn’t bought me a new pudding.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t you be nicer to your boyfriend?” Kenma asked. Kuroo choked on his saliva and stared at Kenma with widened eyes. He raised his eyebrow. “What?” Was he wrong?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boyfriend? Him?” He looked at Kenma as if he’d grown 3 heads. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He gave you red chrysanthemums. Those usually mean love.” Kenma replied, feeling his face grow hot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, that dumbass probably saw red flowers and bought them since our old volleyball team used to have red as our jersey colour.” Kuroo laughed, picking up his phone and swiping it. He stopped after a while and flipped his phone towards Kenma. It was an image of a younger Kuroo throwing the camera a peace sign in a red volleyball jersey with the characters “Nekoma” above the number 1. He had a large grin on his face and there was a gold medal hanging around his neck. Behind him was the volleyball court and net, with tiny specks of blurred colours in the background, presumably the spectators. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See? Our uniform colour. We had another one which was a white jersey, but I think I lost the pictures. Anyways, not dating him. No way. Not my type.” Kuroo looked at the picture fondly and locked his phone. He smirked when Kenma glanced away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry for assuming then.” He muttered, crossing his arms indignantly. Kuroo’s smirk grew larger, making Kenma fear for whatever plan he had next. He really looked like a cheshire cat, except it was a human and was probably going to give Kenma more headaches than necessary.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well...You can give me your name and number as an apology.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma sighed, realizing there was no way out of this without sounding like an asshole. He did barge into this guy’s hospital room and accused him of dating another person. Akaashi’s been nagging him about getting a wider social circle, anyway. “Fine.” He dug out his phone and threw it at Kuroo, who caught it with one hand with ease. “Add in your number. I don’t have a password.” He shoved his hands into the pocket of his winter jacket as Kuroo fumbled with his phone.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have a password? In this century?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have anything to hide.” Kenma snorted, watching as Kuroo typed in his number. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what’s your name then? Don’t tell me it’s actually pudding-head, because I would die laughing.” Kuroo sniggered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s Kenma. Kozume Kenma.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, Kenma-kun! Nice to meet you!” He locked Kenma’s phone and passed it back to him. He opened it to see a message from a ‘Kurooo’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[14:50] Kurooo: Hey</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma looked up from his phone to glare at the man, who whistled innocently. “Why’s my username changed to pudding-head?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you are one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[14:53] Pudding-head: i should call the cops for harassment. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pocketing his phone, he walked towards the door. “I need to go back to help out with the shop now.”  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t leave me on read, or I’ll make Lev send another bouquet and make you come back here!” Kuroo hollered as Kenma left the room with a small grin on his face. As he walked back down to the carpark, he thought of the messy haired man with the cheshire grin and sharp hazel eyes in room 165.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somehow, he found that he wouldn’t mind if he had to return. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:10] Kurooo: Are you awake?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:10] Pudding-head: why are u online</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:10] Kurooo: Your texting style is gonna make me cry, Ken Ken. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:10] Pudding-head: im lazy. also, what the fuck is a ken ken</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:10] Kurooo: Idk. New nickname for you, I guess. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:11] Pudding-head: ok, kuro. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:11] Kurooo: kuro? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:11] Pudding-head: it’s shorter than kuroo </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:11] Pudding-head: so why r u awake anyways? dont patients need to sleep</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:12] Kurooo: All I’ve been doing is taking naps and watching old anime. I’m bored. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:12] Pudding-head: i have work tmr. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:12] Kurooo: I literally saw you get an achievement for a game. Don’t lie. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:13] Kurooo: Did you forget that your games were linked? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about your 15 hours on a dating sim.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:13] Pudding-head: count your days, kuro. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pudding-head is offline!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:14] Kurooo: Ooooo I’m so scared. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:14] Kurooo: Goodnight to you too, Ken ken </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kurooo is offline!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pudding-head is online!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:15] Pudding-head: …</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[00:15] Pudding-head: gn, kuro.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pudding-head is offline!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey hey, Kenma-kun!" Bokuto Koutarou yelled as he jumped in front of the counter, waving his hands at Kenma. The shorter boy dodged to avoid getting hit and gave the other his meanest glare. "What. I'm working, you know? For your boyfriend?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto grinned. "There's no customers here now, so it's fine." He dismissed Kenma's concern with a careless wave of his hand. "Anyways. I heard that you got a special someone's number…" Kenma groaned and rubbed his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I literally got his number less than a week ago. Did you stalk me or something?" Kenma accused, rolling his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nope!" Bokuto replied. "Tetsu's one of my best friends!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why am I not surprised?" Kenma muttered. Akaashi probably planned it, knowing him. He wouldn’t let it pass Akaashi to pull something like this under the guise of wanting to help Kenma with his social life or something. He didn’t need any help. He had the people in the flower shop and the occasional dinner with Shouyou and his taller boyfriend. He was fine with his current lack of social life, or part thereof.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve known the guy since high school! Hell, we even played against each other!” Bokuto grinned fondly. “He’s always been a pain in the ass.” Kenma nodded in agreement. He had only met the man at the hospital twice and he’d gone home with migraines both times. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He texted me again last night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you enjoy talking to him.” Boktuo’s grin grew wider.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I just didn’t wanna be an asshole and ignore him.” Kenma coughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you’ve been texting him every day since you got his number?” Bokuto waggled his finger at Kenma, smirking when Kenma’s ears grew red. He pointedly turned his back to Bokuto, pretending to fiddle with some of the flower stalks in the baskets behind the counter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kenma. I’ve known you since you knew Keiji! If you truly found him annoying, you would’ve blocked him long ago!” Kenma could hear the amusement and glee in his voice, and he chose to ignore it. “You should go for it!” Kenma continued to pointedly ignore him, grabbing some of the pre-packaged flower baskets and rearranging them, despite the fact that they were already neatly decorated by Yukie an hour ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kou, are you harassing my colleagues again?” Akaashi’s head popped out of the backroom, saving Kenma from having to reply to Bokuto. Kenma turned around to see Bokuto’s eyes light up with happiness as he ran forward and carried Akaashi, twirling him in circles as Akaashi giggled and yelled for him to stop and that they were in a ‘formal workplace.’ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever. He was used to these scenes anyways, as evident from the polaroids that he found in Akaashi’s car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Bokuto finally put Akaashi down, the black haired man straightened out his apron and his gunmetal blue eyes flickered between Bokuto and Kenma, who was glaring at the other man. “What were you two talking about?” He questioned with a knowing look on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even try to pretend, Akaashi.” Kenma directed his glare towards Akaashi instead. “You set me up with Kuroo, didn’t you?” Akaashi shrugged. “The first time was a pure coincidence. When I found out about it, I decided to send you again since there was another order for him. Second time’s the charm, and it worked.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma’s phone chose to vibrate with a notification at that moment, and he quickly grabbed it, much to the other couple’s amusement, who gave each other knowing looks. Kenma shot them a look. “What.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, I need to fix a few arrangements and deliveries.” Akaashi grabbed Bokuto’s hand and evacuated to the backroom, leaving Kenma alone at the front counter with 5 unread messages.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:15] Kurooo: Heyyy</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:15] Kurooo: Hellllooooo?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:15] Kurooo: pudding_cat.png </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:16] Kurooo: The cat reminded me of you. Look at that lil yellow puff on his head! Just like your hair!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:17] Kurooo: Wait omg I forgot you had work my bad</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pudding-head is online!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:20] Pudding-head: its fine. noone in shop anyways.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:20] Pudding-head: i cant believe u kno bokuto. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:20] Kurooo: Oh yeah, small world isn't it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:20] Pudding-head: wow</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:21] Kurooo: Yeah! I was his moral support man when he asked Keiji out, yk? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:21] Pudding-head: huh. i thought akaashi confessed first</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:21] Kurooo: Apparently they had plans to confess on the same day, and Keiji managed to say it first after Bo let him talk first.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:21] Kurooo: Tbh, it was quite funny lol. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:22] Pudding-head: i would pay to see that ngl</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The doorbell rang, causing Kenma to glance up from his phone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:22] Pudding-head: brb, customer.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pudding-head is offline!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to Serendipity, how may I help you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Yukie finally came back from her deliveries to take over Kenma’s cashier position, Kenma evacuated to the backroom, where Akaashi was still trimming the same set of flowers. He checked his phone to see 1 notification on the lockscreen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[15:30] Kurooo: Are you coming to the hospital today?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pudding-head is online!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[15:35] Pudding-head: no delivery for u, sry</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[15:35] Kurooo: Oh </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[15:36] Kurooo: Sry its just</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[15:36] Kurooo: Nothing to do here :( </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma felt his heart clench at the emoji that Kuroo sent. It was probably lonely to be alone in the hospital with no one but himself. Kenma wondered where his family was at. Kenma pictured the man sitting alone on the unmade hospital bed, TV playing old anime in the background while he scrolled through his phone, surrounded by flowers and gifts from friends that couldn’t visit from continents away. A pang of sympathy shot through Kenma. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With his new tide of emotions, Kenma made up his mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[15:37] Pudding-head: yk what, theres actly one. coming later. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[15:37] Kurooo: :D </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kurooo is offline!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re going to deliver your own flowers to him, aren’t you?” Akaashi’s question wasn’t really a question, but it was more of a statement. Kenma looked away indignantly, refusing to make eye contact with Akaashi. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if I am?” Kenma muttered, standing up from his seat to get some flowers. Akaashi suddenly shoved a bouquet of flowers into his arms instead, causing Kenma to jerk back in surprise, nearly dropping them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were bright sunflowers and yellow roses stuck beside one another, blending it neatly with the shade of purple that was used to wrap them. Besides the flowers, there was also chocolate sticking out of the bouquet in a neat arrangement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take them. Kuroo’s a friend of mine too. You can say it’s from me and Koutarou if you’re too embarrassed.” Kenma wanted to wipe the smirk off Akaashi’s face, but Kenma still thanked his boss grudgingly, grabbing his winter jacket and heading to the carpark like he had been doing for the past week. The last time he visited Kuroo in the hospital was a week ago, when he delivered the flowers and mistakenly thought that he had a boyfriend. He cursed himself inwardly as the moment surfaced in his mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma took the same route to the hospital, turning on the car’s radio and letting the song muffle the thoughts in his mind. He had texted Kuroo right before he started driving, letting the man know that he was coming. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Next thing he knew, he was standing in front of room 165. He could hear the faint sounds of japanese dialogue and sound effects coming from behind the door, along with the familiar scent of antiseptic and bouquets of flowers mixed together. Kenma wrinkled his nose before knocking on the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come in!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma twisted the doorknob and entered, unable to force down the small smile that appeared on his face. “Hi, Kuroo.” Kuroo, who was previously laying down on his bed, immediately sat up, his cheeks glowing with happiness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pudding-head! You’re back!” He eyed the chocolate in the bouquet. “Is this a confession?” Kenma’s face felt his face grow scarlet red as he glared at the man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t Akaashi dating your best friend?” He muttered, ignoring his staccato heart. If he feigned ignorance, he could pretend that Kuroo’s face didn’t wilt slightly before going back to its previous expression. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course Keiji would give me chocolates!” Kuroo exclaimed, reaching out to take the bouquet and take out the chocolate. He looked up at Kenma, and waved a chocolate bar in front of him. “Wanna share? I can’t eat this much anyways, and it’s gonna melt.” He gave Kenma puppy eyes that the latter couldn’t resist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure.” Kenma grabbed the white plastic chair and sat down beside the bed, taking the chocolate from Kuroo’s hands and eyeing them. He raised his eyebrow. “Dark chocolate?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo hummed as he tore off the packaging of his own chocolate. “Didn’t expect it?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You look like a white chocolate type of person.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, dark chocolate is nice. I prefer bitter things.” Kuroo replied, chewing on his chocolate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma tore open the packaging off his own chocolate and bit off a piece. It wasn’t his favourite type of chocolate, but he didn’t mind it. They ate in a comfortable silence as the anime that was playing on the TV started rolling the end credits. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you wanna go out for dinner?" Kuroo suddenly asked, chocolate wrapper scrunched up in one hand and the other gripping the wool blankets tightly. Kenma paused in his chewing, looking back at Kuroo. The man avoided his eyes and started playing with the wrapper. "Can you leave the hospital?" Kenma questioned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can go to the hospital cafe only." Kuroo muttered. "Look, it's fine, I-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma cut off Kuroo's mumbling. "Let's go tomorrow then." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo looked at him, face wavering between disbelief and shock. His lips widened into a large grin. "It's a date then!" He yelled, giving Kenma a finger gun pose. Kenma deadpanned and rolled his eyes fondly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma stood up from the uncomfortable plastic chair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll come get you at 6pm." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If anyone told Kenma a month ago that he would be clearing out his closet for an hour just to look for clothes, for a date nonetheless, he would’ve laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If anyone told Kenma that he would end up begging Yukie and Akaashi for help, he would’ve made sure they didn’t get to see tomorrow morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yet, after an excruciating and painful evening of Yukie and Akaashi treating him like a dress up mannequin doll, he was finally given their approval to leave for the ‘date’ at the hospital. It was a hospital anyways, why would he need to dress any different than usual? Akaashi even threw a bucket hat on him, called it the ‘peak of fashion’, and ushered him out of the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His clothes were nicer than usual, with a red-checkered flannel and white undershirt, along with a pair of black jeans that he’d forgotten even existed in his closet. Yukie even offered to touch up his roots, which he kindly declined because no way was he ever letting her near his hair ever again after the previous incident (She nearly sliced his ear off while trying to tie his hair). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi, being the amazing friend that he was, insisted on driving Kenma to the hospital for his date. When Akaashi dropped Kenma off at the drop-off area, he was surprised to see Kuroo waiting for him in a wheelchair, a bouquet of red roses and violets in his lap, contrasting his pale hospital gown. A straw-basket hung from one of the hooks beside the wheelchair. He saw Kenma and waved his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was pretty sure Kuroo was not allowed out of the hospital room by himself. The nurse had told him specifically the previous day that if Kuroo wanted to leave, someone had to be there with him to sign him out. So who..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He paused and turned to glare at Akaashi’s car, which had stopped ahead as someone with spiked up black-and-white hair crawled into the passenger’s seat. He sighed and turned to Kuroo, who gave him a mischievous smirk when he too saw Akaashi’s car driving away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he neared Kuroo, the man grabbed the bouquet from his lap and shoved it into Kenma’s arms. Kenma jolted backwards from the sudden action and stared bewilderedly at it, eyes flickering between Kuroo and the bouquet in his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s now my turn to give you flowers.” Kenma could feel his face grow warm. He opted to hide his reddening face behind the bouquet, much to Kuroo’s amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” Kenma muttered. He passed the bouquet back to Kuroo. “I can’t push you and hold it at the same time. Hold onto it for me first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anything for you, Kenma-kun!” Kuroo winked, laying the flowers back on his lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You couldn’t tame your messy bed-hair for this?” Kenma teased. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope! Kou tried, but it refused to stay down even with gel!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hearing Bokuto’s name, Kenma was reminded of the previous scene where the man dived into Akaashi’s car. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“All of you planned this.” Kenma accused as he pushed Kuroo’s wheelchair towards the cafeteria in the hospital. Kuroo shrugged innocently. “Not me. Kou just showed up and signed me out. You look good, by the way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma stopped pushing the wheelchair. “What.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I said, ‘you look good’. This outfit fits you.” Was Kuroo’s ears tinted red? “Anyways, go to the Garden Pool instead. Kou and Keiji packed food for us to eat, since according to them, the hospital cafeteria sucks too.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma nodded, maneuvering the wheelchair to head towards the garden. He’d never been there before, but from what he’s heard from Yukie, it was a beautiful area with plenty of fauna for the patients and visitors to visit in their free time. The name came from the fact that there was a huge water fountain in the center, with fairy lights that would turn on in the evening, He silently reminded himself to thank Akaashi and Bokuto later. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They bantered and talked about their day as they walked (or, in Kuroo’s case, rolled) to the garden. Kenma had gotten the day off since it was a weekend, and he spent his days lying in bed and playing games. Kuroo, on the other hand, had been reading this book that Bokuto had gifted him for his birthday. It was about a science theory that was recently being explored by scientists.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nerd.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not the one that spent my day playing games.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma scoffed as he turned into the garden. The sun was just setting, the sky a brilliant orange, causing shadows to be cast over the water fountain and the flowers in the area. There was a bench beside the fountain that was void of people. Kenma pushed Kuroo to the bench, settling him beside the bench before sitting down on it. He unhooked the basket from the wheelchair and opened it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were mainly homemade sandwiches, food which would be easy for a hospital patient to digest. A few fruits were mixed in with the bread, along with 2 bottles of apple juice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma really needed to thank Bokuto and Akaashi later. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pulled the sandwiches out and passed them to Kuroo, who took them with a thanks. When Kuroo unwrapped his sandwich, the smell was salivating. “I bet Bokuto made this. Akaashi can never make anything food-related.” Kuroo grinned, biting down on his sandwich. Kenma copied his actions, glancing at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Akaashi can’t cook?” Kenma asked between bites. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo swallowed. “Nope! He nearly set the kitchen on fire once! Kou banned him ever since.” Kenma cocked an eyebrow. That was good blackmail material. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They settled into a comfortable silence, taking bites out of their sandwich and admiring the garden view. Kenma regretted not coming sooner. The place was really magnificent, flourishing with many species of fauna. He understood why Akaashi and Yukie enjoyed the hospital garden so much now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Say, I’ve never actually been out of my room since I got admitted, apart from surgeries and checkups.” Kuroo admitted when he finished his sandwich. “It’s nice to finally be out in the open air for once.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How long have you been in here?” Kenma questioned hesitantly, not wanting to upset the other man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A month or so.” Kuroo replied. He pauses for a moment before continuing. “Stomach cancer. A pain in the ass, but the surgery should’ve sorted everything out.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m probably gonna get released soon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not knowing how to reply, Kenma slowly chewed the last bit of his sandwich. He wasn’t the best at comforting people, fearing that he would say the wrong words which would upset others. He wanted to try though. For his friend. For Kuroo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad you’re recovering.” Kenma finally commented. “Next time, we can go to a cafe instead of eating here. My treat.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo’s mouth quirked up into a smile. “I’ll hold you to that promise.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:35] Kurooo: Thanks for having dinner with me :D</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pudding-head is online!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:37] Pudding-head: np. i enjoyed it 2</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:37] Pudding-head: i wouldnt mind going 2 hv dinner again. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:37] Kurooo: Let’s go for lunch when I get out of the hospital then! There’s this really great place I know that sells delicious food! </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:38] Kurooo: I’ve been craving the food there since I got admitted...I’ll treat you next time ;)</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:38] Pudding-head: when r u gonna be released?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:38] Kurooo: Is someone eager?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:38] Pudding-head: am not. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:39] Kurooo: You are</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:39] Pudding-head: am. not. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:39] Kurooo: Sure, sure, I’ll believe you! </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:39] Kurooo: Anyways, I’m being released in 3 days! </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:40] Pudding-head: ill come get u at 1pm </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:40] Pudding-head: im stealing akaashi’s car</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:40] Kurooo: With the amount of times I stole his car, I don’t think he would mind either</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:40] Pudding-head: lets go for lunch on that day then</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[21:41] Kurooo: Sure :))</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had visited Kuroo at the hospital the day before he was due to be released and the man was fidgetly and getting ready to jump out of the window with all his pent up boredom. He had bought more dark chocolate for him, hoping that it would temporarily ease his boredom before he got released from the hospital. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They talked for a few hours, Kenma having taken the afternoon off to spend time with him. Akaashi shot him a sly grin when Kenma asked to leave early while Yukie slapped his back and asked him to spill the details to her after. He decided then that he was definitely gonna avoid her for a few days, lest she teased him in front of the entire shop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In a few hours, Kenma had learnt more about Kuroo, and vice versa. Kuroo had come from a family with divorced parents. He was separated from his older sister when he was younger, but they still managed to keep in contact. His voice was filled with bitterness when talking about his parents, but his voice quickly rose excitedly in volume when Kenma changed the subject to his sister. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She lived in a different area, but she tried her best to visit him during the weekends when she was free. Despite their separated childhoods, Kenma could tell that Kuroo loved her dearly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma shared about his small family of 3, and his interest in flowers that stemmed from his mother and her love for gardening. He always remembered seeing her water her small garden everyday as his father cooked lunch. Eventually, Kenma was dragged into doing it too and he found out that he loved flowers (not the process, though. He found it icky.) </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That led to a conversation about jobs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apparently, Kuroo was working as a sports promoter for volleyball before the cancer took over. At first, he shrugged it off as food poisoning or gastric pain, but after weeks of constant pain and aching, he finally dragged himself to the doctor, where he was diagnosed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Although Kenma was not surprised in the slightest, he still lightly chided Kuroo. The messy-haired man laughed in reply as he took another chocolate. Kenma wondered if he should even be eating so much chocolate in his condition. When Kuroo hesitated in his reply and proceeded to reach out for another piece, Kenma stopped him and threatened to call in a nurse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma wondered when he had started to feel so much for someone he’d met on a simple flower delivery. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma woke up early to fetch Kuroo from the hospital. He’d already asked to borrow Akaashi’s car, to which the man was more than happy to agree to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His phone rang just as he was leaving the house, body jittery with excitement at the idea of being able to go on a lunch date with Kuroo. His phone flashed with the contact name ‘Annoying Owl’, with a picture of Bokuto holding up a peace sign. He answered the call. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” Kenma asked tentatively into the phone. For a while, there was nothing in reply. Did Bokuto call the wrong number?</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Bokuto? Is everything okay?” Kenma asked. When he increased the volume of his phone, he could hear Bokuto’s sharp intakes of breath. “Bokuto? Please, did something happen?” Kenma repeated, worry painting his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was the shuffling of phones being exchanged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kenma?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Akaashi?” Kenma could recognise the man’s voice anywhere after years of working with him. The usual calm tone was replaced with a hoarse one, which was unusual for him. “What’s wrong? Is Bokuto okay?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“...We’re on our way to your apartment.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Akaashi, please, what’s wrong?” Kenma begged. “What happened?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s Kuroo. Something happened, and he had to go for an emergency surgery this morning. His sister just got the call and she immediately called Kou.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma dropped his keys, the sound of them hitting the floor seemingly distant. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“He’s going to be fine, okay? We’re coming over soon.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma ended the call and stared blankly at the lock screen, which showed the notifications from </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kurooo</span>
  </em>
  <span> a few hours ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[06:30] Kurooo: You’re probably asleep, but-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[06:31] Kurooo: Thank you for talking to me that day</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[06:31] Kurooo: Can’t wait to go out for lunch later :D </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma didn’t cry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Crying meant giving up on Kuroo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ride to the hospital was a tense one. Bokuto gripped the steering wheel until his hands were pale as he drove while Akaashi starred absentmindedly out of the window. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma didn’t say anything on the ride there. He pretended not to see when a tear rolled down Akaashi’s face, pretended not to notice Bokuto letting go of the steering wheel on one hand to grab Akaashi’s hand, rubbing soothing circles over his knuckles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The moment they entered the car park, the three of them made a dash to the area outside the surgery room, where they saw a black-haired woman pacing the hallway. She bore a striking resemblance to the man inside the surgery room, from the messiness of their hair down to the way they held themselves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was Kuroo’s sister. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing the three of them, she immediately walked over and engulfed Bokuto in a hug. He tearfully returned the action, while Akaashi and Kenma bowed slightly in greeting. She looked Kenma up and down, before snapping her fingers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re the flower delivery man, aren’t you?” She gave Kenma a rueful smile, eyes glistening with unfallen tears. Kenma nodded his head. “I’m sorry we had to meet like this. My name is Kuroo Masumi. You can call me Masumi.” She sounded so resigned that Kenma couldn’t stand it anymore. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s going to survive.” Kenma blurted out. “He’s going to survive. I trust him.” He stared at Masumi. “You should, too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She froze for a second, and Kenma shot Akaashi a nervous look, wondering if he’d overstepped his boundaries. After all, she had known Kuroo for much longer than he had. Masumi suddenly burst out in laughter, shocking the other three on the floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re right.” She grinned. “I don’t know why I was so worried. He’s always been a strong one, that boy.” She sat down on one of the uncomfortable plastic seats that was nailed against the wall and patted on the one beside her. “All of you, come sit down. Standing around will just tire us out.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The conversation had eventually delved into one of Kuroo Tetsurou. Bokuto shared stories about the both of them as their volleyball team’s respective captains and how they would mess around during camps. Masumi talked about Kuroo when he was younger, before things had become ugly between their parents and they were forced to separate. She reminisced about how he had cried when the volleyball got stuck in a tree and she was forced to climb up there to grab it for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, a doctor came out with a grim expression. The warm atmosphere from previously immediately turned cold, and for the first time since Kenma left his apartment, he felt fear overwhelm him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Masumi immediately stood up. “Is Tetsu okay?” She demanded, hands trembling and fear creeping into her voice. The doctor paused, and Kenma had to will himself not to start tearing up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s in a coma.” He simply said, as if describing the weather that day. “We’ll keep watch over his condition, but he has a 40% chance of recovery. I’m sorry. We did the best we could.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>40%. Kuroo’s survivability was based on some numbers that a random person estimated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, doctor.” Akaashi replied for the group. The doctor nodded and went back into the surgery room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even as Masumi started to shake with uncontrollable sobs, Kenma didn’t cry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room was quiet. Too quiet. There was no anime music playing in the background, no Kuroo shuffling the bedsheets around as he scrolled through his phone. No conversation, nothing but the beeping of the machines that kept him alive. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma feared that the beeping might turn into silence as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto and Akaashi had offered to let Masumi crash at their place, since hers was too far to make it back to the hospital in case there were any sudden developments. Akaashi had brought dinner for Kenma a while ago, but he couldn’t stomach anything down. None of them tried to get him to leave, even as he grew tired and felt the world spin on its axis. He stayed awake, keeping a quiet vigilance on Kuroo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He feared if he even closed his eyes for a minute, he would never see Kuroo’s rising chest ever again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>40% chance of recovery, the doctor had said. 40%. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t even a 50-50 chance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kuroo.” Kenma whispered to the still figure on the hospital bed. “You still owe me a date, idiot.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no reply from Kuroo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The days blurred together. 1 day turned into 2, and then it turned into 4 and 5. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>5 days since he’d last heard Kuroo’s voice. 5 days since he'd last received a notification on his phone. It was 5 days too long. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Surprisingly, it was Bokuto that managed to force Kenma home after day 2, telling him that if Kuroo woke up to see Kenma so distraught, he would never forgive himself. Despite silently cursing Bokuto, he reluctantly allowed Akaashi to drive him home.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He returned on day 4, staying by Kuroo's bedside with Masumi, who had darkened eye bags that could rival a panda's. Akaashi had to keep the store open, so he only dropped by with Bokuto during lunch to check it on them and to bring them food. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma never realized how much he missed the man's deep voice until he couldn't hear it anymore. Masumi was dozing off on Kuroo's right side, snapping back into attention every once in a while before nodding off again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma wasn't a religious man, but he prayed. He prayed for Kuroo to wake up soon, to wake up safely. As selfish as it may seem, he prayed for them to be able to go on their date. Kuroo, who would probably order dark coffee with no milk or sugar for himself and a cappuccino for Kenma, waving at him when he walked through the cafe doors. Kenma would brush off the snow on his jacket and jog towards the table that Kuroo was sitting at. They would talk, and they would appear oblivious to the noise and chatter around them, alone in their own secret bubble where they joked about flowers and midnight conversations. Kuroo would tease Kenma about his eyebags, knowing that they were from his late-night gaming sessions. Kenma would insult his horrible bed hair fondly, and the both of them would burst into laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma didn't know when Kuroo had wormed his way into his life, disrupting his daily schedule all for the sake of cheering the hospitalized man up. He didn't know when the friendly smiles had turned into blushing cheeks and skips in heartbeats. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma was in love, and he feared it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma was outside of the ward with Akaashi. Bokuto and Masumi had left to get dinner for all of them, claiming that they should at least try and stomach something down even if it was difficult. Kenma knew that comment was directed towards him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Earlier, the doctors had kicked them out in order to do some simple check ups on Kuroo. The man wasn't getting any worse, but he wasn't showing any signs of waking up too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma sat down numbly on the plastic chairs after pacing for a few minutes. Akaashi immediately joined him on his left, and the room was filled with a tense silence. Akaashi was paler than usual, and his eyebags were heavy with lack of sleep. Kenma wasn't any different from him either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What if he doesn't make it?" Kenma broke the silence. He couldn't stand it anymore. The many </span>
  <em>
    <span>what-if </span>
  </em>
  <span>scenarios floated through his thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've known him since we were in high school. He'll make it." Akaashi stated calmly. He took a sip from the plastic cup in his hand. "He's a determined bastard. He'll wake up soon."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How do you know?" Kenma's voice cracked on the last word. "He has a 40% chance, Akaashi. 40%. Fuck, I probably have a higher chance of getting marigolds to bloom in this season or something." Kenma muttered hysterically. His hands were trembling and he wrapped his jacket tighter around himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you know what </span>
  <em>
    <span>serendipity</span>
  </em>
  <span> means?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh?" Kenma looked up at Akaashi. The latter gazed at the cup in his hands before looking back at Kenma. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I named the shop </span>
  <em>
    <span>serendipity</span>
  </em>
  <span> because life has many routes for us. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Serendipity</span>
  </em>
  <span> means that some sudden series of events may occur which would lead to happiness and fortune. Many things are set in stone the moment we step into this world, yet things can change in a split second." Akaashi paused, swirling the coffee in the cup. Kenma stared at him, mesmerized by the action. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wanted my shop to give people opportunities," Akaashi continued. "The opportunity for many fortunate series of events that creates happiness." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Were you and Kuroo not a byproduct of this? If Yukie had received the arrangement order earlier, if Koutarou had come back a week later, allowing me to stay at the shop later, would you've met Kuroo?" Akaashi mused. "Maybe you would've, in another way. Or maybe not, and the two of you might have never crossed paths."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"All I'm saying is, if </span>
  <em>
    <span>serendipity</span>
  </em>
  <span> has already gotten both of you this far, you shouldn't give up yourself and Kuroo so easily." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi's gunmetal blue eyes shone with optimism. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma felt the worst-case scenarios in his mind disappear, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>what-if</span>
  </em>
  <span> questions floating away. For the first time in a few days, he felt his lips quirk up. He chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't take you for a philosophical person."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi smiled. "I needed to cheer up a friend."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few more days passed. Was it day 8 or 9? Kenma had stopped counting after it reached the 1 week mark. He visited Kuroo everyday, whispered about the games that he’d wanted to buy with his salary but never got to, chatted with Masumi about herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things were looking up for all of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then came day 10. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Masumi had offered to buy him dinner and left earlier to grab something from the cafeteria. Kenma was alone in the hospital room with Kuroo. The doctors had come in earlier to inform them (more specifically, Masumi) that things were looking up for Kuroo, and they just needed him to wake up. Masumi had burst into tears again. This time, however, they were happy and hopeful tears, compared to the despairing ones days ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kuroo, please wake up.” Kenma murmured, gently grabbing Kuroo’s still hand and giving them a light squeeze. They were calloused from years of playing volleyball in high school, with broad fingers and rough fingertips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo’s pinky finger twitched within Kenma’s grasps. Kenma gasped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kuroo?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma hit the emergency call button when his finger twitched again, this time with more strength. When the nurses and doctors rushed into the room, Kenma explained the situation to them in a panicky tone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo’s eyes shot open. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room burst into noise and movement, doctors giving instructions and nurses bustling around to grab equipment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma just wanted to see Kuroo again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma was forcefully ushered out of the hospital room, where he was met with Masumi’s widened eyes and a plastic bag full of pre-packaged food. Her eyes were immediately filled with fear when more doctors rushed into the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kenma, what happened?” She demanded shakily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He woke up, Masumi. He opened his eyes. He’s gonna be okay.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that sentence, Kenma finally let himself cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Akaashi.” Kenma said as he stepped out of the car. Akaashi smirked and nodded knowingly before he drove off. In Kenma’s hands were his phone and a single rose. Call it cliche, but he was a florist after all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked into the cafe, immediately being hit with the aroma of freshly-made coffee. The cafe, in contrast to the chilly temperature outside, was warm with dimly-lit lights. Kenma eyed the store, before seeing the messy bed hair that he loved. He swiped open his phone and sent a message.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:15] Pudding-head: i c you didnt comb your hair again</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[13:15] Kurooo: You’re so hurtful</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma looked up to see obsidian black eyes staring back into his. He walked up to the table where Kuroo was seated. Kenma raised a confused eyebrow. On Kuroo’s side was a half-finished coffee cup, while on the side with the empty seat, there was a beige looking coffee. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You ordered for me already?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I did owe you a cafe date, didn’t I?” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wrote this for <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/valdera">kiri</a> for the Kuroken 2020 xmas exchange!</p><p>I hope you enjoy it! Merry christmas! </p><p>Come find me on <a href="https://twitter.com/miwaaalisa">miwaaalisa</a> on twitter &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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